publication of the International Legal Technology Association
Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/550988
ILTA WHITE PAPER: JULY 2015 WWW.ILTANET.ORG 31 work large organizations do every day, freeing in-house counsel to do high-value work. As tweeted by @LawScribbler, "In each profession, there's a subset that understand the transformative power of new tech & get on board early." A MATRIX FOR INNOVATION IN LEGAL After examining the challenges experienced in legal and reviewing what innovators in our profession are doing, I created an adapted version of Mary Benner's innovation matrix that notes products or services that might fall into each area. Internal innovation did not appear on Benner's matrix, but it has a place in our business. It is a precursor to more evolved innovation. For example, internal KM efforts can eventually evolve into client-facing KM. And, as Littler's CaseSmart demonstrates, client-facing KM can be combined with other innovative products and services to create a whole new service to attract new clients. WHERE WILL INNOVATION BLOOM? Given law firm culture and the uphill battle to change that culture to foster innovation, much legal innovation will happen first outside the walls of big law firms. Legal technology vendors, alternative business structures, technology startups and smaller firms stand a better chance than large law firms because the cultural barrier is not as great and there are fewer partners to convince. Law firm leaders must decide if they want a seat at the innovation table. Ample opportunity exists in the legal market for those who want to innovate. As recently as May 2015, ABA President William Hubbard hosted a National Summit on Innovation in Legal Services. At this invitation-only event at Stanford Law School, Hubbard observed, "If lawyers don't embrace innovation and technology, they face obsolescence." Similarly, Scott Reid, Director of Knowledge Management Innovation at Littler Mendelson, summed up innovation well: "You can either do it, or you can have it done to you." The choice is yours. THE CHOICE TO INNOVATE IS YOURS Innovation Matrix: With Potential Products or Services RADICAL INCREMENTAL CURRENT CLIENTS INTERNAL GROUPS NEW CLIENT SETS New, never before done internal product or service (e.g., a new KM tool) Novel, client-facing product or service Novel product or service to attract new client sets Improvement that attracts new client sets Client-facing improvement for existing clients Internal improvement to existing product or service (e.g., process improvements) When people with different backgrounds, interests and knowledge discuss their daily challenges and stumble upon something new, innovation happens.